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13 June 2016
The closure of Dubai International Airport for over an hour on Saturday after a drone entered restricted airspace is likely to have cost the emirate's economy "millions of dollars", the head of Dubai Airports said in a radio interview.
Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest international airport, closed its airspace from 11:36 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Saturday, resulting in 22 flights being diverted and thousands of passengers being delayed.
"I can't go into specifics because the authorities are still looking [into it], but there are very clear restrictions and no fly zones around all airports in the UAE [United Arab Emirates] saying that this type of activity is illegal," Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said in an interview on The Business Breakfast show on radio station Dubai Eye 103.8.
"It's very difficult to estimate how much it costs because I don't know how you start. Do you include the inconvenience to travelers? Do you include the missed business meetings? I mean it's going to be many thousands, if not millions of dollars, that's for sure," he added.
The use of drones has become more popular in the UAE, especially for commercial transport use. However, unauthorised usage is prohibited within 5 km of airports, helipads and landing areas, Reuters reported on Sunday.
Griffiths has urged Dubai residents to report any illegal or suspect activity of drones.
"Owners of drones have to be registered. They cannot operate them without a permit issued by the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA)... So anyone seeing any of this drone activity anywhere near an airport or the Burj Khalifa or Burj al Arab should report it," he said referring to two landmarks in Dubai.
The airport's airspace was also forced to close in January 2015 for 55 minutes as a result of similar drone activity.
Listen to the full podcast interview here
(Edited by Shane McGinley)
(Ends)
© Zawya 2016
The closure of Dubai International Airport for over an hour on Saturday after a drone entered restricted airspace is likely to have cost the emirate's economy "millions of dollars", the head of Dubai Airports said in a radio interview.
Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest international airport, closed its airspace from 11:36 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Saturday, resulting in 22 flights being diverted and thousands of passengers being delayed.
"I can't go into specifics because the authorities are still looking [into it], but there are very clear restrictions and no fly zones around all airports in the UAE [United Arab Emirates] saying that this type of activity is illegal," Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said in an interview on The Business Breakfast show on radio station Dubai Eye 103.8.
"It's very difficult to estimate how much it costs because I don't know how you start. Do you include the inconvenience to travelers? Do you include the missed business meetings? I mean it's going to be many thousands, if not millions of dollars, that's for sure," he added.
The use of drones has become more popular in the UAE, especially for commercial transport use. However, unauthorised usage is prohibited within 5 km of airports, helipads and landing areas, Reuters reported on Sunday.
Griffiths has urged Dubai residents to report any illegal or suspect activity of drones.
"Owners of drones have to be registered. They cannot operate them without a permit issued by the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA)... So anyone seeing any of this drone activity anywhere near an airport or the Burj Khalifa or Burj al Arab should report it," he said referring to two landmarks in Dubai.
The airport's airspace was also forced to close in January 2015 for 55 minutes as a result of similar drone activity.
Listen to the full podcast interview here
(Edited by Shane McGinley)
(Ends)
© Zawya 2016
